Dave Frankel

Dave Frankel was a true entrepreneur before the word was popular. Dave was born in Eagle River in 1887 to Mose and Caroline Frankel, both born in Russia. The date they arrived in Eagle River is not certain but Mose operated a dry goods store on Wall Street about 1900. The second of five children, Dave remained in Eagle River and assumed responsibility for the store his father started. The others variously went into medicine, teaching and business. A sister married a man with a clothing store in Rhinelander which became De Byles.

When Dave took over the store, Goldie the cat came with the package. An Eagle River regular, Goldie prowled at night and by day slept in the front window, using a sweater or the inside of a hat as a bed.

Dave didn’t restrict himself to retail – indeed his store was no model of organization. He had no idea of what was in stock at any given moment. Goods were displayed on large table on both floors of the store. His wife, Estelle, ran a women’s shop in the back of the store. If a customer bought a pair of shoes it was wise to check that they were both the same size and color.

His other ventures included pig farming and real estate. His approach to accounts payable were somewhat cavalier. It was said he determined the order in which bill were paid by tossing the entire stack in the air. Those landing face up were paid.

Like many other Eagle River residents, the Frankels moved to a cottage in the summer. Theirs was near the old Morey Resort. Dave’s routine then was to drive to town to work, stopping at the post office for mail and gossip, do a bit of shopping and piling everything on the hood of his car, go to his store, leaving a trail of boxes in his wake.

When Dave retired he sold his building to Charlie Speiss who then operated a sporting goods store in the same location for many years. Glick’s is now located on the same site. Dave Frankel retired to North Carolina where he died in 1956. He is buried in Milwaukee.